The Maryland Assistive Technology Loan Program (ATLP) is seeking candidates with significant experience in finance, accounting, investment management, consumer lending, or who have disabilities or assist individuals with disabilities to serve on its volunteer Board of Directors appointed by the Governor.
As of October 1, 2021, the ATLP Board has 2 open positions – one (1) to be filled by consumers with disabilities, or those who support individuals with disabilities; and one (1) to be filled by consumers with finance, lending, and/or accounting experience.
The purpose of the Assistive Technology Loan Program Board is to support the ATLP in its function to provide low-interest financial loans to people with disabilities in order to purchase assistive technologies, home modifications, and adapted and non-adapted vehicles.The ATLP Board of Directors establishes and reviews policies and procedures, issues weekly decisions on applications for loan guarantees and interest or principle subsidies, and advises on fiscal and budgetary matters.
If you are interested in serving on the ATLP Board of Directors, please contact Tanya Goodman at 410-554-9244 or at tanya.goodman1@maryland.gov.
I am very troubled by what I consider to be extremely ableist language in this post. The statement that I am referencing reads:
“As of October 1, 2021, the ATLP Board has 2 open positions – one (1) to be filled by consumers with disabilities, or those who support individuals with disabilities; and one (1) to be filled by consumers with finance, lending, and/or accounting experience.”
Here are my follow-up questions. Are you suggesting that having a disability means that applicants couldn’t possibly have skills in finance, lending, and/or accounting experience? Would disabled applicants with these skills be automatically excluded? Surely you must know that there are many individuals with these skills who also may have one or more disabilities. Are they not welcome to apply?
Thank you David for the questions about the ATLP Board positions. I appreciate that you reached out and let us know how you interpreted the announcement. It is never the intent of MDTAP or MDOD to come off as ableist in any of our interactions. I’m sorry that it appeared that way to you.
The categories are the minimum qualifications for those two seats on the board. The minimums are there to ensure that at least one person with a disability is part of the Board. It is not a maximum! Of course we encourage people with disabilities to apply for any and all seats that apply to them, including but not limited to these two seats and others.